The Conversation (0)
Breanna Robinson
Jul 20, 2021
Keigo Oyamada poses during a photocall for the Stella McCartney Spring 2015 Presentation and Party at Roppongi Hills on July 17, 2014 in Tokyo, Japan.
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A Japanese musician and producer who composed some music for the 2020 Olympic Games opening ceremony has resigned from the occasion—after a resurfaced interview in which he admitted childhood bullying.
Keigo Oyamada, the musician in question who’s better known as Cornelius, wrote music for the Olympics ceremony, which is set to occur on Friday in Tokyo.
Backlash and scandal around Oyamada came to light when a concerning account of bullying popped up recently, in which he seemed to boast about to magazines in 1995.
According toThe Guardian, Oyamada toldQuick Japan magazine that he had confined a classmate in a cardboard box and forced a boy with a learning disability to eat his own faeces, amongst others things, in front of other children.
The outlet also claimed that he made comments like this in other magazines the year prior.
According to the Japanese newspaper Nikkei, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee mentioned that Oyamada’s music score, which a total of four minutes for the ceremony, will be taken out.
On Sunday, Oyamada did apologize for his actions but didn’t mention a resignation.
“I offer my heartfelt apology ... In my school days and at the time of the (magazine) interviews, I was a very immature man who could not imagine how the victimised feel,” he said in a statement on his website according to Reuters.
The very next day, on Monday, Oyamada stepped down from the role.
“I made arrangements with relevant parties and submitted my resignation to the organising committee,” he wrote on his Twitter account per the outlet.
The misfortune surrounding Oyamada isn’t the only scandal to be associated with the Olympics.
Yoshiro Mori, the former president of the Olympics organizing committee, left the position after making sexist commentary that sparked outrage in Japan and abroad.
Japan is also facing Covid-19 lockdowns amid a new wave with struggles to vaccinate people, and citizens aren’t that pleased about the Olympics taking place.